Miquel Torner de Semir (1938) - La dama

Pictura Subastas presents this magnificent artwork by Miquel Torner de Semir, depicting an elegant profile of a woman, enveloped in intense colors and crowned by a large reddish headdress, whose distant gaze conveys serenity, mystery and introspection. The painting stands out for its excellent technique and the high pictorial quality it conveys.

· Dimensions with frame: 51x51x6 cm.
· Dimensions without frame: 24x24 cm.
· Mixed media hand-signed by the artist at the bottom right.
· The piece is in good condition.
· The work is sold with a precious frame (included in the auction as a gift).

The work comes from an exclusive private collection in Girona.

Important note: the photographs included are an integral part of the lot description.

The painting will be professionally packed by an IVEX expert (https://www.instagram.com/ivex.online/), using high-quality materials to ensure its protection. The shipping price covers both the cost of professional packaging and the transport itself.
Shipping will be carried out by Correos, GLS or NACEX with tracking. International shipping available.

------------------------------------------------------------------

This painting presents the profile portrait of a female figure whose serene presence occupies the center of a composition dominated by color, line, and a delicate sense of introspection. The woman directs her gaze to the right, apparently unaware of the viewer, while her silhouette is clearly outlined against a background of soft and shifting tones. The simplicity of the gesture, the elegance of the neck, and the purity of the contour give the image an intimate, silent, and deeply evocative beauty.

The face is the main expressive core of the work. Shown in profile, it features a broad forehead, a fine and straight nose, delicately defined lips, and a softly rounded chin. The dark contour that delineates these features allows the figure to stand out from the background without resorting to overly detailed description. The economy of lines brings modernity and elegance, while the harmony of proportions conveys a sense of calm and inner balance.

Particularly significant is the look of the protagonist. The eye, carefully highlighted, appears to focus on a distant point outside the composition. It is not a gaze directed at the audience, but a reserved expression that invites guessing the woman’s thoughts, memories, or emotions. This orientation toward an invisible space symbolically broadens the scene and makes the portrait open, capable of suggesting waiting, contemplation, nostalgia, or reverie.

The hair is gathered at the back of the head into a complex and ornamental structure. The curved lines and small details around the ear evoke an elaborate hairstyle, possibly secured with a ribbon, comb, or discreet ornament. This area introduces graphic richness that contrasts with the overall simplicity of the face. The combination of bluish volumes, black contours, and repeated shapes gives the hairstyle an almost sculptural presence.

From the top of the hair emerges a large reddish-orange form that extends to the left, occupying a considerable part of the upper area of the composition. It can be interpreted as a headdress, a cloth, a large flower, or a symbolic extension of the figure’s thought. Its irregular and expansive shape adds energy and drama, balancing the stillness of the profile with a bold chromatic presence full of movement.

Within this large warm zone appear deeper red spots that enrich its volume and create different centers of intensity. The reds, corals and oranges convey vitality, passion and emotional strength, while their open boundaries allow the form to visually merge with the surrounding space. This chromatic expansion could be understood as an external manifestation of the protagonist’s inner life, as if her emotions unfold quietly behind her.

In contrast with these warm colors, the upper and central areas incorporate deep blues, violets, grays and delicate greenish nuances. These cool tones wrap around the head and give a sense of depth, mystery and contemplation. The intense blue above the face acts as a shadow or as an extension of the hair, creating a beautiful contrast with the reddish tones dominating the left side.

The face is not covered by a single uniform color, but traversed by visual transparencies and delicate variations of pink, mauve, blue, green and beige. These tones blend into each other and give the skin a changing, sensitive and almost ethereal appearance. More than merely describing the physical appearance of the woman, the color seems to reveal different states of mind, turning her face into an emotional landscape rich in nuance.

The cheek gathers much of this chromatic wealth. Soft pinks mix with violets and blues, suggesting an inner illumination rather than a clearly defined natural light. This play of colors adds depth without hardening the features and reinforces the delicacy of the portrait. The protagonist seems suspended between reality and memory, as if a figure arising from a dream or a distant recollection.

The lips, discreetly tinted with red, introduce a small point of intensity within the face. Their closed and calm shape reinforces the silence of the figure, who seems to keep to herself what she thinks or feels. This detail, together with the direction of the gaze, builds a reserved and enigmatic personality. The expression is not clearly sad or joyful, but remains in a very attractive emotional ambiguity.

The line of the neck takes on fundamental importance in the composition. Its long, elegant curve descends from the jaw and extends toward the shoulders, creating a sense of refinement and lightness. The neck acts as a visual bridge between the face and the lower part of the image, while the dark contour organizes the figure with great clarity. This stylized extension lends a noble and timeless quality to the protagonist.

In the lower area appears a garment in reddish, pink and orange tones that covers the shoulders and upper torso. Its color dialoges directly with the large warm form behind the head, establishing visual continuity between clothing and possible headdress. The broad, curved contours of the garment reinforce the overall softness of the figure and provide stability to the composition.

The background is built from a sequence of subdued colors that surround the profile without defining a concrete space. Pale greens, bluish grays, veiled whites, pinks and earthy tones are distributed irregularly, creating an undefined and poetic atmosphere. The absence of architectural or landscape elements concentrates all the attention on the woman and allows the figure to exist in a space more emotional than physical.

This indeterminacy of the environment gives the portrait a universal dimension. The protagonist does not clearly belong to a specific era, place, or situation, so it can be interpreted as a symbolic image of femininity, memory or contemplation. Her stylized features and gathered attitude allow imagining multiple stories: she could be waiting for someone, recalling a past moment, or simply observing quietly what lies beyond our sight.

The composition finds its balance in the opposition between stillness and movement. The profile line is clean, steady and contained, while the color patches of the background and the headdress expand with greater freedom. This coexistence creates a delicate visual tension: the face remains serene, but everything surrounding it seems to vibrate and transform. Thus, the image simultaneously communicates exterior calm and interior intensity.

There is also an interesting dialogue between what is defined and what is suggested. Some parts, such as the eye, the nose, the lips, the ear, and the contour of the hairstyle, are clearly delineated, while others dissolve into color zones. This alternation allows immediate recognition of the figure and, at the same time, leaves room for imagination. The spectator can mentally complete what the composition only hints at.

The decorative force of the work arises from its harmonious chromatic distribution. Reds and oranges provide warmth and energy; blues and violets introduce serenity and depth; soft greens balance the whole; and earth tones create a welcoming base. Although the color variety is broad, all are related through delicate transitions that avoid any sense of rupture.

The woman thus gains a majestic presence without the need for grand gestures. Her beauty lies in serenity, in the elegance of the profile and in the mystery of a gaze directed beyond the scene. The large headdress and the richness of color elevate the portrait above a quotidian representation, making the protagonist an almost allegorical figure associated with sensitivity, imagination and inner strength.

Overall, this precious painting offers a feminine portrait full of elegance, sensitivity and mystery, in which a profile-bearing woman quietly contemplates a space beyond the composition. The delicacy of her features, the refinement of the hairstyle, the intensity of the large reddish headdress, and the enveloping combination of blues, pinks, greens and violets create a poetic and deeply expressive image. The work conveys a fascinating union between exterior serenity and emotional richness, turning the protagonist into a timeless presence that seems to inhabit between memory, dream and contemplation.